The UC Board of Regents has decided to delay a vote on student
fee increases pending further information on the state’s
budget crisis, according to a statement from the UC Office of the
President on Friday.
The regents were scheduled to vote on the issue this Wednesday
at their bimonthly meeting in San Francisco. Now the issue will
only be open for debate.
According to the statement, the regents delayed the vote because
they wanted as broad a perspective as possible about the state
budget in light of looming potential budget shortfalls.
“It seems prudent to address these issues in a single
action, rather than acting now and returning again in a few weeks
for another vote ““ an approach that could produce
considerable confusion for students and their families,” said
UC President Richard Atkinson in the statement.
Students anxiously awaiting news on the potential increase will
have to wait until the next regents meeting in July, though
Atkinson urges students to voice their opinions now.
“Because many students will be away from campus at that
time, I want to be clear that I welcome their input on fees at the
May meeting,” he said.
One factor that may have contributed to the delay in vote is the
fact that Gov. Gray Davis is releasing the state budget revision on
May 14, coinciding with the regents meeting.
The revision, known as the May Revise, is a re-estimation of the
state budget based on a combination of factors, including
recommendations from the state legislature and how much money the
state is supposed to take in that year.
Jerry Kissler, assistant vice president for budget planning at
UCOP, said the UC suspects the May Revision will not speak well for
the university system.
“Every indication suggests the governor will be releasing
estimates that were lower than those in January, so the situation
has gotten worse,” Kissler said in a May 7 conference
call.
In addition, proposals in the state legislature could increase
state budget cuts of $373 million by an additional $80 million.
That, combined with the rejection of tax increases by state
Republicans, would compound budget cuts to the university.
All told, students could be looking at fee increases of up to 70
percent, said Steven Klass, chairman of the University of
California Students Association.
Student leaders were not pleased by the decision to delay the
fee vote, saying the decision was a tactic to avoid student
response.
“It’s somewhat logical in the sense that they need
to get the May Revise,” said Christina Gagnier, vice
president of the Associated Students of UC Irvine. “But I
think they’re also moving it back so they won’t have to
deal with student feedback over the summer.”
Klass said delaying the vote until summer will give students
less time to cope with fee increases before school resumes in the
fall.
“We need to have a buffer when students know when their
fees are increased,” Klass said.
Plans for 600-800 UC students to attend the regents meeting on
Wednesday and Thursday to protest rising fees have not changed,
Klass added.
There is some fear amongst UCSA that the UC regents will hold
their July meeting by conference call from different locations,
making it difficult for students to voice their opinion.
Accordingly, the protesters on Wednesday will present the
regents with a demand to have their July meeting at UC San
Francisco so students can more easily attend, Klass said.
In the meantime, Atkinson said the regents will continue to
resist budget cuts.
“We will continue working aggressively in Sacramento to
fight any additional budget cuts that could lead to further fee
increases or program reductions,” he said.